In 2009, there were numerous reports of planthopper and virus disease outbreaks in Asia’s rice production areas. These outbreaks are shown in the map above. We have not received any report from Laos, Japan, Taiwan, and Sri Lanka. In some countries, there is under reporting or reports are not released.

In Yunnan, China, young rice crops were badly destroyed by theWBPH. This was reported to have affected most of the Southern districts of Yunnan (https://ricehoppers.net/2009/08/18/yunnan-china-infested-by-the-white-backed-planthoppers-wbph/ ). The crop destruction seemed to be caused by massive displacements of the adult hoppers from areas with very high WBPH populations, possibly the northern provinces of Vietnam. This clearly shows that for such mobile pests, like planthoppers, international cooperation is essential for management.